Top 20 Breakout Stars of 2012

In this Sept. 10, 2012 file photo, seven-year-old beauty pageant regular and reality show star Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson gestures during an interview in her home in McIntyre, Ga. The TLC network said that it has ordered Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas specials focusing on its seven-year-old breakout star Honey Boo Boo. The series aired its 10th and final episode of its debut season on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012 (credit: John Bazemore/CBS News)

Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen's infectious summer hit, "Call Me Maybe" spawned thousands of YouTube imitators while launching her single to the top of the charts.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Colin Kaepernick

The number #2 QB of the San Francisco 49ers made news in 2012 when filling in for main man, Alex Smith. The number #1 question in everyone's minds was whether or not "Kaep" will take over the #1 spot, permanently.

(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Ellie Goulding

Singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding scored two chart hits in 2012 with "Lights" and "Anything Can Happen" that took over the dance floor and radio waves all over the world.

(Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)

Olympians: "Fierce 5"

The Fierce Five (also known as the Fab Five) is the artistic gymnastics team that won the second ever gold medal for the United States in the women's team competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The five members of the team are Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber.

Singer/Songwriter, Frank Ocean penned hits by Brandy, Justin Bieber, and John Legend. Ocean became well-known when he came out of the closet about his sexuality and garnered support by major artists for his openness and his talent.

(credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)

Gotye

Wouter "Wally" De Backer, better known by Gotye is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is derived from "Gauthier", the French equivalent of "Walter" or "Wouter". His voice has been compared to those of Peter Gabriel and Sting. Gotye's single "Somebody That I Used to Know" reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australian based artist to do so.

(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence first jumped on the scene when she was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Satellite Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in the two independent films, "The Burning Plain" and "Winter's Bone." At age 20, she became the second youngest actress ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2012, she achieved wider recognition starring as the heroine Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel of the same name. In October 2012, Lawrence was announced as the new face of Dior. In November 2012, Lawrence played a recovering sex addict in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, an adaptation of the novel of the same name, by Matthew Quick, opposite Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. Lawrence began working on the film adaptation of the second novel in the The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2013.

(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Jeremy Lin

In February 2012, Jeremy Lin unexpectedly led a winning streak with the New York Knicks while being promoted to the starting lineup, which generated a global following known as "Linsanity." In the summer of 2012, Lin signed a three-year contract with the Rockets. Lin attended Palo Alto High School and went on to Harvard University there after. Lin is now with the Houston Rockets and is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, and the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the league.

(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

fun.

This New York Indie Pop trio of Nate Ruess (vocals), Andrew Dost (keyboard, bass) and Jack Antonoff (guitar, trumpet), hit number #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 with "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monae. fun. is up for several Grammys including Album of the Year for "Some Nights" and Record of the Year for "We Are Young."

This American model and actress, known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue first in 2011, when she was named Rookie of the Year, and again in 2012, when she was announced as the cover model. Her acting debut was in the Ben Stiller movie "Tower Heist" and again in "The Three Stooges."

(Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

Kendall and Kylie Jenner

Both sisters of the Kardashian/Jenner clan are American reality television stars, television personalities, models, and brand ambassadors for Seventeen Magazine. They are best known for appearing on the E! reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Del Rey's music has been noted for its cinematic sound and its references to various aspects of pop culture, particularly that of the 1950s and '60s Americana. The singer has described herself as a "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra."

(credit: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/GettyImages)

Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham is an American filmmaker and actress who wrote and directed the independent film Tiny Furniture (2010), and is the creator and star of the HBO hit series "Girls." In 2012, she was nominated for 4 Emmy Awards for "Girls."

(credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

One Direction

Members of the British-Irish boy group One Direction consist of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson were formed in 2010 by Simon Cowell after finishing third in the British version of "The X-Factor" and propelled the boy-band to worldwide super-stardom.

(credit: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Phillip Phillips

Phillip Phillips is an American singer-songwriter from Leesburg, Georgia who won the 11th season of Fox's "American Idol" on May 23, 2012. In November 2012, Phillips released his debut album "The World From The Side of the Moon."

(Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

PSY

Korean rapper, PSY became a pop culture icon in 2012 when the video to his song "Gangnam Style" went viral on YouTube with over 1 billion views. Making PSY the current record holder of most viewed video on YouTube. PSY appeared everywhere and even had people like Britney Spears, Ellen Degeneres and the San Francisco Giants dancing "Gangnam Style."

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Jingle Ball 2012)

Rebel Wilson

Australian actress/comedienne Rebel Wilson was named as one of the "Top Comics To Watch For" by Variety Magazine. In 2012, Wilson appeared in the hit film, "Pitch Perfect."

(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

San Francisco Giants: Hunter Pence, Marco Scutero & Angel Pagan

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-3 in the tenth inning to win the 2012 World Series in 4 straight games. Here, Marco Scutaro #19 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates with Angel Pagan #16 and Hunter Pence #8 in the locker room after defeating the Detroit Tigers to win Game Four of the Major League Baseball World Series at Comerica Park on October 28, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Stephen Amell

Canadian actor, Stephen Amell can be seen the masked archer on The CW's new hit action series "Arrow" a re-imagining of DC Comics' "Green Arrow."